East of the Mountains
by David Guterson
published
1999
by Random House Audio Publishing Group
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binding
Audio Cassette
isbn
0553525735
(isbn13: 9780553525731)
description
Read by Edward Herrmann
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 902)
Read in February, 2008
Guterson is an extraordinary writer and storyteller. I read his first novel, Snow Falling on Cedars while spending one extremely snowy winter in Chicago with my dear Aunt Cassie as she fell ill with cancer and spent her last days in a hospice. The staff was nice enough to let me stay overnight anytime I wanted, so I often stayed up late watching the snow fall reading this book, keeping my Aunt company as she rested.
I'm in Chicago again this year, so I decided to mark the (eighth) anniversa...more
I'm in Chicago again this year, so I decided to mark the (eighth) anniversa...more
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Read in January, 2002
Like many other reviewers, I found my way to this novel via the author’s more famous Snow Falling on Cedars. The latter, of course, combined a thwarted interracial romance, a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans -- quite a lot for one story. By contrast, East of the Mountains, while simpler in terms of plot and somewhat shorter in terms of page count, felt like a longer book. I think the pacing seemed slower to me.
That does ...more
That does ...more
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Read in July, 2008
Other than the middle section describing his time in the war, this is an excellent book. It sits firmly in the old narrator reflects on his life as he faces death niche, and breaks little new ground. But still, a well-written account with interesting characters along the way and enough present-day activity to keep the plot interesting. The book focuses on the life of Ben Givens, born to an apple-orchard family in Washington State. Diagnosed with colon cancer, he decides (at the beginning of ...more
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Guterson should change his last name to "Flowery Evocative Rolling Adjective". The language was slightly more forgivable in Snow Falling on Cedars, but I found his writing style even more distracting in this book. I finished it, but only because I'd taken it on vacation and it was the only book I brought with me. Or perhaps I should say: the single, lonely, book that sat itself quietly on an unassuming wooden bedside table, which looked as though it had seen far, far better days.
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4.5 stars. The beginning of the book references may places in Eastern and central Washington, so it was an enjoyable read for a native Washingtonian. It wasn't as good as Snow Falling on Cedars, but I enjoyed it more than Our Lady of the Forest. Well worth reading.
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Read in May, 2003
I was excited to read this book because I was so impressed by Snow Falling on Cedars. I also thought the basic premise of the book sounded fascinating--an old doctor is diagnosed with cancer and, having already lost his wife, decides to go on one last hunting trip where he would commit suicide. I really expected this to be a thought provoking read. But it was not. I was bored through most of it because the episodes seemed so contrived. It wasn't subtle when it should have been (the m...more
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It was pretty good. I didn't like it as much as "Snow Falling on Cedars", his earlier work, but he did a great job of describing Seattle and Washington State. It made me miss the Pacific NW and my friends something fierce.
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Read in January, 2002
recommends it for:
any
This is a story of a dying man who aims to take his life "accidentally" in a hunting trip, but fails. The subject is so fascinating and releveant because people are faced with terminal illnesses every day and forced to be a "burden" on their children and their finances. I completely disagreed with the character's desicion attempt at suicide, but I completely understood his motives.
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Read in November, 2008
This book had a great overall storyline, but was inconsistent with the writing. Some chapters were intriguing and emotional, while others felt like filler for the book.
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Read in January, 2006
I liked this book. I really did. The story was good, I thought, if melancholy and sometimes a bit macabre. Maybe life is like that.
I could "see" the whole journey, partly because Guterson's descriptions are as crisp and delicious as any apple grown "East of the Mountains," and partly because those vistas belong to me from childhood and are part of my being.
I don't know who I could recommend this book to, though. Guterson's writing is so intimate that it seems ...more
I could "see" the whole journey, partly because Guterson's descriptions are as crisp and delicious as any apple grown "East of the Mountains," and partly because those vistas belong to me from childhood and are part of my being.
I don't know who I could recommend this book to, though. Guterson's writing is so intimate that it seems ...more
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I have been reading a few books about an elderly gentleman looking back on his life - Water for Elephants, The History of Love and this one.
This was a very moving story about a former surgeon dying of cancer and heading to the area he grew up in where it intends to kill himself. He does, however, get sidetracked (more than once) on his journey there. Another good one by David Guterson. He sets his stories close to his home and obviously writes about places he knows about, so the places sound...more
This was a very moving story about a former surgeon dying of cancer and heading to the area he grew up in where it intends to kill himself. He does, however, get sidetracked (more than once) on his journey there. Another good one by David Guterson. He sets his stories close to his home and obviously writes about places he knows about, so the places sound...more
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Read in September, 2008
I didn't like this book as well as I liked Snow Falling on Cedars. However, I enjoyed the way Guterson took the subject of death head on from the perspective of the terminally ill. Although there were certain overly sentimental aspects of the novel, for the most part I found the book thoughtful and well written.
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Again Guterson describes a part of WA that I am very familiar with. I appreciated his lovely description the area. It's been awhile since I've read this book, I think it may have been a little slow in parts, but was overall a good read.
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